As we explore the Scriptures surrounding the birth of our Messiah, it
can be very easy for us to gloss over many important facts and tidbits
laid forth in the text. It can be easy to allow ourselves to be lead
astray by common errors which, when Scripture is examined closely, are a
misconception of the verses. In this study, I hope to shed some light
on some of the events which surrounded the birth of our LORD and Savior.
Mary's Prayer
Perhaps
one of the most magnificent prayers in all the Bible, the prayer Mary,
the mother of Jesus, utters in the Gospel of Luke chapter one verses
46-55 is one treasured by many. Unknown to many readers, Mary's prayer
is actually a proclamation of her faith and knowledge of Scripture.
Mary's song of praise closely mirrors another woman's exultation to
God...a faithful servant of the LORD called Hannah.
Barren
for many years, Hannah is married to her husband, Elkanah (1 Samuel 1).
Unfortunately, Elkanah also has another wife named Penninah. Penninah
had many children. And let's recall to mind that children in ancient
times were an insurance that the family would continue to live on in
future generations. Inheritance was passed down through sons. A woman
who did not have children was destined for poverty. Upon her husband's
death, no one would care for the wife. Without a welfare system, the
wife would be forced to live as a beggar.
Hannah prayed
to God for a son and promised to give the child back to the LORD. Upon
giving birth and raising the child until he was weaned, Hannah dedicates
her son, Samuel, to the LORD. Hannah makes the journey to the
Tabernacle and places her son in the custody of the high priest, Eli.
Hannah then gives a tremendous song of thanksgiving to the LORD.
1 Samuel 2:1-10:
"Then Hannah prayed and said,
'My heart exults in the LORD;
My horn is exulted in the LORD,
My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies,
Because I rejoice in Your salvation.
There is no one holy like the LORD,
Indeed, there is no one besides You.
Nor is there any rock like our God.
Boast no more so very proudly,
Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth;
For the LORD is a God of knowledge,
And with Him, actions are weighed.
The bows of the mighty are shattered,
But the feeble gird on strength.
Those who were full hire themselves out for bread,
But those who were hungry cease to hunger.
Even the barren gives birth to seven,
But she who has many children languishes.
The LORD kills and makes alive;
He brings down to Sheol and raises up.
The LORD makes poor and rich;
He brings low, He also exalts.
He raises the poor from the dust,
He lifts the needy from the ash heap
To make them sit with nobles,
And inherit a seat of honor;
For the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S,
And He sets the world on them.
He keeps the feet of His godly ones,
But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness;
For not by might shall a man prevail.
Those who contend with the LORD will be shattered;
Against them He will thunder in the heavens,
The LORD will judge the ends of the earth;
And He will give strength to His king.
And He will exalt the horn of His anointed.'"
I
wish I had the technological skill to do a side-by-side comparison of
Hannah's song of praise and Mary's prayer of thanksgiving, but I do not
seem to possess this talent. Instead, I urge you to do your own
comparison of these two passages of Scripture. It is amazing to see all
the parallels between the two prayers.
Many often
attribute Mary as a woman of great faith. However, we can truly see this
in the words Mary utters to our LORD. She knows Scripture and uses
Hannah's prayer as a foundation for her own words of praise. Mary is an
excellent example for us. We should know and use Scripture in our own
prayers. The Bible is full of numerous songs of praise and prayer. In
fact, there is an entire Book called Psalms which has verse after verse
of prayers and supplications. We should be like Mary and know the text
so well that when we send prayers up to God, we can quote Him His own
words in our prayers.
Joseph Putting Away Mary
As we continue exploring the texts surrounding Jesus' birth, we come to the following passage:
"Now
the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been
betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with
child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man
and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly"
(Matthew 1:18-19).
At first glance, one may assume that
Joseph, when he found our Mary was pregnant, did not want to be
burdened with having a harlot for a wife. One can assume that Joseph was
trying to divorce Mary in a way in which her family's reputation would
be tarnished as little as possible. However, Joseph wanting to send Mary
away privately (and thus divorcing her) was indeed a very righteous
act.
In Torah, there are strict guidelines in which a husband could follow in the event he questioned the virginity of his bride.
"If
any man takes a wife and goes in to her and then turns against her, and
charges her with shameful deeds and publicly defames her, and says, 'I
took this woman, but when I came near her, I did not find her a virgin,'
then the girl's father and her mother shall take and bring out the
evidence of the girl's virginity to the elders of the city at the gate.
The girl's father shall say to the elders, 'I gave my daughter to this
man for a wife, but he turned against her; and behold, he has charged
her with shameful deeds, saying, "I did not find your daughter a
virgin." But this is the evidence of my daughter's virginity.' And they
shall spread the garment before the elders of the city. So the elders of
that city shall take the man and chastise him, and they shall fine him a
hundred shekels of silver and give it to the girl's father, because he
publicly defamed a virgin of Israel. And she shall remain his wife; he
cannot divorce her all his days.
But if this charge
is true, that the girl was not found a virgin, then they shall bring out
the girl to the doorway of her father's house, and the men of her city
shall stone her to death because she has committed an act of folly
in Israel by playing the harlot in her father's house; thus you shall
purge the evil from among you" (Deuteronomy 22:13-21).
As
one reads the Torah, the punishment for a bride being found to not have
been a virgin was to be stoned to death. Moreover, her father's house
was defamed when the stoning took place on the doorstep of her father's
home. Joseph did not want to bring this disgrace upon Mary or her
family. We see what a noble and honorable man Joseph was when he
discovered Mary's pregnancy, for which the punishment for the non-virgin
bride was to be stoned to death.
Moreover, Joseph was a
man of great faith because he believed the words an angel spoke to him.
"But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the LORD appeared
to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to
take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is
of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name
Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins...And Joseph awoke
from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took
Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son;
and he called His name Jesus" (Matthew 1:20-21, 24-25).
Joseph
could have simply dismissed the angel and the words uttered. However,
Joseph believed the angel. Furthermore, Joseph was probably well versed
in Scripture and knew the prophecy proclaimed in Isaiah 7:4: "Therefore
the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with
child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel." Perhaps when
the angel spoke to Joseph, Joseph made the connection that his wife,
Mary, was the chosen one to bring forth the Messiah. Perhaps, this, in
addition to the words of the angel, persuaded Joseph to remain with Mary
and proceed with the marriage. Either way, Joseph believed God, and he
was rewarded with his actions by being Jesus' earthly father.
